KUALA LUMPUR: The Attorney General's Chambers (AGC) has directed that the death of Reserve Officers Training Unit (Palapes) cadet Syamsul Haris Shamsudin be reclassified as murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code for further investigation by the police.
In a statement on Tuesday (Dec 2), the AGC said the decision was made after it was briefed on the findings of the police's investigation into the 22-year-old's death.
"After being briefed and reviewing the investigation report, the AGC has instructed that the case be reclassified under Section 302 of the Penal Code [Act 574] for continued investigation by the police," it said.
Syamsul Haris died on July 28 at Kota Tinggi Hospital in Johor after undergoing training at the Army Combat Training Centre in Ulu Tiram.
He was buried the following day at the Kampung Rinching Ulu Muslim Cemetery in Semenyih, Selangor.
Meanwhile, Bukit Aman CID Director Datuk M. Kumar said the investigation into Syamsul Haris' death would now focus on identifying individuals involved or responsible.
He said the investigation papers would be resubmitted to the AGC for further direction, in line with Article 145 of the Federal Constitution.
"The public is reminded not to speculate while the police complete their investigation, and out of respect for the principles of criminal justice in this country," he said in a statement on Tuesday.
The case was previously classified as a sudden death report (SDR). It was taken over entirely by the Classified Crime Investigation Unit (USJT) of Bukit Aman's Prosecution and Legal Division (D5) on Aug 27, following a Shah Alam High Court order allowing the family's application for exhumation and a second post-mortem.
– Bernama
